Number of cases filed in the UK Supreme Court increases by 23%

The number of cases filed in the UK Supreme Court increased 23% last year, with 226 cases filed in 2022-23, up from 183 in 2021-22*, shows new research compiled by Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI), a global content and technology company.

The UK Supreme Court has increasingly focused on corporate and civil cases, with civil cases now accounting for 98% (221 out of 226) of all cases filed, up from 76% (168 out of 220) in 2013-14. Just 2% of cases filed were criminal cases last year versus 24% 10 years ago.

The UK Supreme Court is the final court of appeal in the UK for civil and criminal cases from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In October 2009, the Supreme Court replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the UK.

The court’s role has assumed an even greater significance since Brexit, with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) no longer the highest court of appeal in the UK for cases that are based on European Union law.

Landmark Supreme Court cases in recent years have included:

• Financial Conduct Authority v. Arch Insurance (UK) Ltd, which determined when insurers should pay out on business interruption insurance claims arising from the COVID-19 lockdowns;
• Uber BV and others v. Aslam and others, which looked at the employment status of Uber drivers and what employment rights those drivers might have; and
• Manchester Building Society v. Grant Thornton, which looked at what duty of care a professional adviser, in this case the auditors, have to their clients.

The increasing importance of the UK Supreme Court in areas of commercial, family, and employment law led to the March launch of UK Supreme Court Dockets on Westlaw. This provides lawyers with easier access to High Court and Supreme Court proceedings, integrated with Westlaw capabilities that improve workflow and enable greater efficiency.

A docket – a record of litigation events as a case goes through the courts – starts when a claim is filed and it records each procedural step until judgment. This includes the case’s status, details about the parties, and next steps. The UK Supreme Court’s docket system contains information about cases – both decided and current – filed at the court since 2009.

*Year ending March 31, 2022

23% increase in cases filed in the UK Supreme Court

Increasing share of civil cases filed at the UK Supreme Court; civil cases now make up 98% of cases filed